Working the numbers 2019 style

mark55man

Thursday was a long day forgot my lunch but got by on some fruit that had been bought in to support our helathy living initiatves, which was nice - topped up with hot chocolate from the machine. Nearly a NSD but was my turn to buy the drinks in the evening at the (smallish) reading group I go to.

Today was never going to be a NSD as my car is in for an MOT, but I sealed the deal by buying some Almond Croissants in Waitrose so I would have something to go with the free coffee I earned for getting the croissants. WFH day today - lot of conference calls and some online training. The cat is learning a lot about my project and our performance review process - doesn't seem to care that much!!

enthusiasticsaver

Looks like you are doing well on the debt reduction and monitoring spends.

Adult kids are pretty expensive aren't they and you have four rather than just our two.

mark55man

Thank you ES - yes I think I am getting on top of it. With regard to the expense of kids - I personally believe that the generation that is now late teens/twenties are victims of serious headwinds which my generation didn't have. Difficult working conditions (zero hours, vastly increased rents (AND FEES) as %age of salary, less generous pensions) plus 7 years of austerity has reduced opportuntity etc. Difficult university conditions are another sore point - I am ashamed that I couldn't organise enough for my kids to be able to enjoy university without having to work to supplement. The loams they get don't even cover the rent let alone living. To say nothing about the tuition fees they are saddled with. In my view the worst thing that government has done to a generation in a long time.

So I make up for it by being a but more generous than maybe I expected I would have to be, and I know that in a few years it will all settle down. I am currently spending half my salary of debt reduction/saving for debt so as you may have noticed it is a bit wobbly/peaks and troughs day to day style. But unlike the kids, I do have the security of a mortgage well through its term and adequate provision for retirement.

Party political braodcast over :-) - normal service resumed

mark55man

MOT was pass with no work needed - so alongside minor service total cost £150. I would have taken that at the start of the day

Will see me good for another 10000 miles. Which will take me up to 100000 (from new) in just under 5 years. My carbon footprint is not good. My OH's car we got at the same time is only on 25000

Igamogam

mark88man wrote: »

Difficult university conditions are another sore point - I am ashamed that I couldn't organise enough for my kids to be able to enjoy university without having to work to supplement. The loams they get don't even cover the rent let alone living. To say nothing about the tuition fees they are saddled with. In my view the worst thing that government has done to a generation in a long time.

So I make up for it by being a but more generous than maybe I expected I would have to be, and I know that in a few years it will all settle down. I am currently spending half my salary of debt reduction/saving for debt so as you may have noticed it is a bit wobbly/peaks and troughs day to day style. But unlike the kids, I do have the security of a mortgage well through its term and adequate provision for retirement.

I read and listened to many interviews with :money: re university loans and what he says makes perfect sense. Our DDs both have student loan debt that neither will pay off realistically and they dont have a problem with it having read :money: take on it.

OH and I had a free university education and higher degrees paid for by employers. Had we had loans we would also not paid them off despite having professional "well paid" jobs!

mark55man

Tuition fees are ridiculously high for what they get with not even a semblance of competition. But I lived at uni off my grants so why can the government not [STRIKE]give[/STRIKE] lend them enough money to live on while they are there. It's just ridiculously short sighted

enthusiasticsaver

I think the current level of tuition fees is criminal and we have let a whole generation of graduates down. Many of them will never pay it off so the cost of administering the very complicated student finance scheme is an expensive beaurocracy which has only added to the problem.

Mine were lucky enough to go when the fees were just around £1000 a year but neither of them have paid it off yet in spite of our eldest daughter having a highly paid job and graduating more than 10 years ago. Our youngest earns less as she is now part time due to having children so I don't think she is paying very much off at all. They both had to work in the holidays and we paid as much as we could to help them but a university education away from home is expensive.

I think half the problem is that these student loans rather than the old grant system have helped normalise debt for the modern day. The thinking is for many they already have £40k of student loans or more so the odd £10k on a credit card or a £20k car loan seems quite small in comparison for people to have. Once they start going down that route though of thinking all debt is ok then they can quickly run into trouble. The student finance system though is set up to be affordable with only people earning a certain amount repaying it and at a level that is affordable. Overdrafts, credit cards and loans don't work the same way though.

mark55man

I couldn't agree more.

mark55man

doing well on my steps - not monstering it, but keeping in the high thousands most days and an occasional long walk. just over 4 miles looping round town this morning, with opportunties to go a bit longer next time. 70 minutes in a sunny but blustery day

not going to be NSD as Sunday roast (a monthly thing on average) needs to be done. will go for Pork with apple sauce, roasts and greens. Plus the vegan option. try to eat around 2-3 that way we don't need much for supper!!

mark55man

Lot of driving this week, including into London to meet some friends. Had planned to go by train but couldn't. I had a choice of parking on the outskirts or driving in which I do like doing but only after 6pm so no congestion charge.

My MSE coup was I ended up driving through Mayfair and spotted a pay space which cost me 81p from 7pm to 8:40am. I can't even believe how that worked I was expected a tenner for a couple of hours. Then a quick walk to green park tube and off for a beer